Jack Russell Terrier Puppy biting and attack

[AntonioCruz]

I have a 3.5 month old sire JRT...I got it when he is 3 month old. Generally the puppy is lovely, however suddenly at times he will bite my fingers and feet/ ankle. Later he suddenly becomes hyper and attack the owner.

 

please advise how to resolve this habit.

thank you 

Antonio

[Adrienne]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums,

Here are some exercises that can help divert his attention from biting to alternate activities: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

You can also work on refining your pup's biting with these exercises which you can incorporate in your daily training:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/

Here are some extra ideas/games:

If he's aiming for the legs, it's because they move and he loves to play tug with them. Legs have become her best play buddy, the equivalent of another puppy to play with considering that, at this age, what puppies do is play all day long with other pups. Have you tried walking around with a flirt pole? A flirt pole is a stick with a toy attached at the end, sort of like a fishing pole.  JRT may in articular like toys that squeak. The secret may be to catch him *before* he has the opportunity to latch onto legs/ankles/pants. If you catch him once he's latched on, by then, he's likely deep into "croco pup modality," and therefore, too focused on the task making it much more difficult to redirect him.

This means, as soon as you notice him coming towards you with the intent to grab your ankles/hands/ clothes, stop walking in your tracks since movement is what mostly attracts him. So as soon as you notice his intent- before he latches on- you can try to:

-Wiggle around your flirt pole. Move it around in unpredictable ways while you add some funny sounds to make it super fun. Let him latch on to it and create gentle resistance, by tugging back when he tugs as that resistance is what keeps him going. Once he's latched, you can try to walk around holding the flirt pole and he'll likely lag behind tugging back at the toy at its end to his heart's content. 

-Toss a tennis ball the opposite side. Your pup should go catch it, leaving you time to walk around. When he comes back, have another ball ready to toss. Careful if he starts nibbling on tennis balls as many pups love removing the fuzz and ingesting parts.

-Play some kibble-tossing games. As soon as he approaches you, toss a piece of kibble the opposite way. Once he comes back, keep tossing him kibble. Turn it into a fun game. With time, he may rush towards you with the intent of playing this game rather than biting. This is a great way to put a pup to work for kibble rather than than just eating it straight from the bowl. 

-At some point, add obedience exercises into the treat tossing games. This requires you to train your pup to sit. Puppies can learn to sit from a very young age. Below are two seven weeks old pups who learned to sit for their meals in just a couple of days. So once he comes your way, ask him for a sit and then toss the kibble the opposite way to reward him. Here's how to train sit: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/sit/ 

-If possible, once she sits, you can reward him also with an empty water bottle with no lid. Most puppies cannot resist the crinkling sounds produced by chewing on these. They make an economical. temporary chew toy. Always monitor your puppy when chewing if your puppy tend to ingest things and consider that excess chewing can make some parts sharp. To make the bottle even more interesting, fill it up with a portion of your puppy's daily ratio of kibble so your puppy will keep busy trying to roll the kibble out. You can read more about this fun game here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/

These redirection methods all require that you walk around with something when you are "actively training." When I have pups to train, I like to "wear" my flirt pole around my waist or around my shoulders like a scarf so it's always readily available. Treat bag with kibble just clips to my belt or pocket of my pants. Kibble can be also be kept in a pocket. Several balls can be easily transported in a small bag or pocket.

When you are not actively training him to not nip, your pup should be kept busy in other ways, like playing independent brain games at a distance from you, sleeping in the crate, training other skills, exploring the yard, learning brain games, socializing (in a safe way if he hasn't been fully vaccinated yet), settling on a mat with an interactive toy etc.

Finally, consider that young pups need a lot of sleep. Many puppies when tired get cranky and may start biting a lot. These pups should be sent to a quiet area with some safe chew toys to relax and drift into some restorative sleep.